Everything He Wanted
by Empress-Eerian-Sadow
Summary: the companion to my fic All She Couldn't Have. takes place simultaniously, tho i reccomend reading the other one first. vincent's pov
1. Roadside Savior

hi gang! here's the companion piece to All She Couldn't Have that i've been promising. finished writing it at work tonight and am getting typed up now. its not going to be up in one big post like All She Couldn't Have, but it will all be up my midnight my time tomorrow night. hopefully, it will all be up by three this morning, but the arthritis i've devoloped in my hands may say otherwise.

anyway! read and enjoy! and if you feel the urge to review, do that too!  
eerian

* * *

It was raining. The kind of rain that suggested that, perhaps, angry gods did exist after all—and that they were punishing Vincent Valentine for some perceived sin. The rain had caught him unsheltered, and unprepared, drenching him completely in a matter of seconds.

He almost wished that he'd stayed at that little farm another night. At least, then, he'd have had some shelter. But he'd had no money to pay them for their kindness, and he'd be a drain on their meager resources. So, he'd left in midafternoon, since traveling by night didn't bother him.

He'd traveled about nine miles when the sky opened up on him. It had been overcast when he left, but the clouds hadn't looked like the rain would come anytime before midnight. _That_ hour was still a long way off.

He was traveling alongside a road that the rain had turned into a mass of mud. No sane person would want to drive on that, so Vincent was surprised when he heard a car's engine behind him.

He turned to look at the vehicle, raising his arm to shield his eyes as the driver turned on their high beams. Cautiously, he watched as the car stopped next to him and the driver popped the door open. He couldn't be sure in the uneven lighting caused by the storm and the car's overhead light, but the driver seemed very familiar.

"Hey," she called out to him. "You want a ride?"

"Yuffie?" Vincent squinted into the car, trying to see more clearly. _How could I manage to run into her, of all people, out here on this particular night?_

"Vincent?" Her voice sounded surprised, and perhaps a bit unbelieving.

Mentally, he shrugged. It didn't matter if it was her or not—he needed to get out of the rain. He would have taken a ride from Sephiroth, if the general showed up to offer him one. He started to climb into the car, but stopped when he saw her face.

_She's more beautiful than she was when I left._ He drank in the sight of her the way a man in the desert drinks water. "It is you."

"Hi, Vincent." Yuffie sounded shy, almost as if she were afraid he'd run if she said the wrong thing.

_Maybe she _is_ afraid._ He didn't know if the thought originated in his own mind, or came from the demon that inhabited it. Sometimes, they sounded very much alike.

The silence stretched out comfortably between them as the initial shock wore off. He studied her, taking his time because he knew she'd never leave him in the storm.

And, he knew that Yuffie was studying him too. Vaguely, he wondered if she saw anything different in him. And he wondered if she noticed the scar on his right cheek. Since Godo's guard had given it to him, he was more self-conscious about it than his claw.

The years he'd been away had been very good to Yuffie. Her hair was a bit longer, but still cut in a style that would keep it mostly out of her way. Her muscles were a bit more toned, making her lankiness into something much more graceful. Her chest had finally filled out as well, making her look her age, instead of a gawky just-post adolescent.

For a moment, grief for what Godo had taken from him threatened to overwhelm him. He loved this girl so much—but she could never be his because of her father.

"So…are you getting in or what?" Yuffie finally asked, pulling Vincent's thoughts form the track they'd taken.

He smiled slightly, then sat down and closed the door.

"So, where ya headed?" She asked as she started the car back down the road.

"Nowhere." _The same place I've been going for six years. Anywhere that keeps me away from Wutai._

"Nowhere? You were out in this going _nowhere?_" He could hear the disbelief in Yuffie's tone and knew she was going to try to get more out of him. But he wasn't willing to share just now.

"Please, Yuffie. I do not wish to discuss it." All he wanted to do was bask in her presence—and enjoy all he could of their time together.

"Sure, okay." Her tone was laced with disappointment, but she didn't push. "I'm going to Rocket Town. That good for you?"

"Its fine." Actually, it was much further than he'd hoped to make tonight.

When the silence descended between them again, he huddled down in the car seat, arms over chest, chin down and eyes closed. Silently, he begged her not to ask the one question he knew she'd have for him.

He wasn't ready to discuss why he'd abandoned her in Wutai six years ago.


	2. The Inn

THE DISCLAIMER THAT I FORGOT IN CHAPTER 1: i don't own yuffie, vincent, cid, shera, rocket town or anything else that squaresoft put in final fantasy seven. i'm just borrowing them. i do own cid and shera's kids, and some other characters that will pop up later in the story. if you'd like to use them, ask!

* * *

Vincent opened his eyes when Yuffie stopped the car, and looked at Rocket Town's inn with some surprise. "Why not stay with Cid and Shera?"

"With all those little girls running around everywhere?" She made a face that proved that, no matter how mature she'd gotten, this was still Yuffie. "Ugh. No way."

" 'All those little girls'?" This was news to him. "I was only aware of one."

"Well, you've missed some stuff in the last six years. They have four now. And it's past their bedtime." She gave him a smirk. "You can risk the wrath of Shera if you want to, but I'm not gonna."

The ninja had a valid point, Vincent decided. Shera, angry because their visit would wake the girls, would not be a pleasant experience.

"Perhaps the inn is the better part of valor," he told her.

"Yup," she agreed, looking out the windshield. "Gods, we're gonna get soaked going back out there! Even if we run."

He found himself smiling faintly as he suggested, "We could always sleep in the car."

"No way! Even four little girls is better than that!" She jumped out of the car and raced for the inn.

Vincent chuckled as he watched her. She'd always been easy to get a rise out of.

He was, however, quick to follow her example, lest she leave him alone in the rain to fend for himself. Quickly, he made for the door of the inn, stopping just behind Yuffie in the entryway.

She seemed as shocked by the throng of people inside as he was. He was definitely just going to hole up in his room for the night, rather than be subjected to the huge crowd filling the inn.

"Sorry it's so packed," Yuffie apologized. "It's not usually like this."

"Its all right. I will simply stay in my room." He hoped he didn't look as vulnerable as he felt, unarmed and uncloaked. He was actually torn between getting to see more of Yuffie and retreating to the car to escape the crowd.

"Right. Then let's go get some rooms." He followed her closely as they walked to the desk, hoping to deflect some of the looks he was getting.

"Good evening, Lady Kisaragi," the clerk said. Obviously, she was here a lot if the clerk knew her on sight like that. "What can we do for you?"

Yuffie was rummaging in her pockets as she replied, "Two rooms please. Singles are fine."

"I'm sorry, Lady Kisaragi," the clerk apologized. "All I have left is one sing room for the night."

"Huh?" Yuffie looked at the clerk like she wasn't sure she'd heard right. "Only one room left?"

"Yes, ma'am. The Highwind is grounded due to the storm, so we're booked up."

"The single room will do," Vincent said. After all, it was that, the car or Shera. And he didn't want to go back out in the rain.

"Are you sure, Vince?" Yuffie sounded unsure of the idea.

"It is that, or back into the rain to the car or Cid and Shera's. I do not wish to be nearly drowned out there again." His eyes met hers, and she looked away before he could read what was in them.

_Am I a monster to her after all?_

"Sure. Okay." Yuffie took the key from the clerk and paid for the room. "Thanks."

The clerk smiled and nodded. "Have a nice stay, Lady Kisaragi. Sir."

He followed the ninja upstairs to their room, wondering what she was thinking.

The room was Spartan, and much as he remembered from their days in AVALANCHE. It held a functional desk, dresser and bed, all in a light brown wood. An uncomfortable looking plastic chair sat in front of the desk. A single lamp on the desk provided all the room's illumination.

The room's air conditioning was on for some reason, despite the cooler temperatures brought with the storm. He noticed Yuffie shivering, and laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you cold?"

"A little." She rubbed her hands over her arms in an attempt to warm them. "Its just because I'm all wet."

"Then you should change out of those clothes and warm up in the bed."

He raised an eyebrow as she blushed. "My spare clothes are in the car. I forgot to bring them in."

_Oh, Yuffie. I can't believe you sometimes._ He just looked at her.

"What?" she asked, squirming a little.

"You will get ill if you do not get warm."

"Vincent, I…" she trailed off, looking at him. He wasn't sure what she was thinking, but clearly she wasn't entirely comfortable with the situation he was putting her in.

"Don't worry. I won't watch." Vincent took his hand from her shoulder and walked to the window, where he stared out at the storm.

_What am I doing? Am I subconsciously trying to take what I feel I'm owed? Or am I really just trying to take care of the woman I've come to love?_

_Am I just tempting fate?_

He'd felt something between them before, when he'd gone with her to Wutai after Sephiroth's defeat. Probably even before that. He'd lived there for six months when he realized that he was in love with her.

Now, he wondered if he was trying to reclaim what they'd had before, or if something else was on his mind.

"Okay, I'm done," Yuffie's voice rang out from behind him.

Vincent turned to see her blanket bundled form picking up her clothes from the floor.

"Yuffie." She looked up at him. "Sit down. I will lay them out for you."

"Huh? No, its okay—"

"Sit." He pulled the clothes from her hand and stared into her eyes until she replied.

"Okay."

Vincent took her clothes over to the dresser, where he pulled out a drawer and laid them out over it carefully. Then he walked over to the thermostat and turned off the air conditioning.

He could feel Yuffie's eyes following his every move across the floor.

"Hey, Vince?" He turned to look at her. "You're dripping everywhere."

"True. But we only have one blanket." He gave her a faint smile, trying not to let her know how uncomfortable the cool air and wet clothes were making him. "I'll be fine."

"You're not impervious, Vincent. You can get just as sick as me." Yuffie hesitated a moment before adding, "I don't mind sharing the blanket.

"Yuffie…" _She can't be offering what I think she is. She wouldn't, would she? And can I take advantage of her like that?_

"Vincent, please. If I wanted you to die of pneumonia, I would have left you out there by the side of the road. You're too important to me for that."

_Important to her, huh? Well, its not love, but it will do for now._ "All right."

He pulled his shirt off quickly, before he could change his mind., wincing as his cold wet hair fell down across his back and shoulders. She sucked in a quick breath, but he pretended he didn't hear her as he moved his hands to the fly of his pants.

As he unfastened the line of buttons, he realized that his boots were still on, and he sat down in the desk chair to take them off. Carefully, he set his boots down by the desk, then stood back up to remove his pants.

He heard Yuffie's breath catch in her throat, and looked at her with a question on his face. _I hope she's not reconsidering this._ "Is there a problem?"

"No, not really." He could tell she was fighting hard to keep her voice steady.

He smirked slightly as he bent to pick his clothes up. "Good. You did promise to share the blanket, after all."

He knew he was teasing her, but he couldn't help it. She was everything he'd wanted for so long. Everything he still wanted. He couldn't help but hope that, for a little while, he could actually have her.


	3. Truth and Submission

She'd fallen asleep wrapped in his arms with her head pillowed on his shoulder. Vincent marveled that she trusted him enough to do so, knowing—as she did—how unpredictable the demons inside him were.

Her mere closeness was temptation enough. He ached to touch her, to take her and make her his. He wanted her so badly that it was almost a need—and Chaos' promptings in the back of his mind worried at the control he'd imposed on his body.

If Yuffie wanted sleep, she'd sleep. He wouldn't do anything to disturb his angel. And if she wanted more later, she'd have that too. For now, she would have peace, and he would revel in the fact that she was there at all.

Somewhere during his musings, he fell into a sleep troubled by Chaos' voice whispering that he should take what he wanted.

_He dreamed then, and they were in her room in Wutai, holding each other much less platonically than in the real world._

_He kissed her, savoring the taste of Yuffie on his lips. She moaned as his hand cupped her breast, and he nipped at her earlobe._

_Her hand trailed down his chest and stomach, and the dream became a bluff of sensations. He knew they made love, but Vincent couldn't keep track of the details._

_Suddenly, despairingly, a hand reached out and pulled Yuffie from him. He extended a hand to her, and his fingers brushed hers as she reached back. Then she was gone._

His eyes snapped open and he drew in a sharp breath as his mind forced him awake and away from the rest of the nightmare.

"Vincent?"

He looked down at Yuffie, surprised to see her there. Somehow, he'd managed to convince himself that her presence was just part of the dream. "Yuffie?"

"Yeah. You okay?" She looked more than a little worried, and Vincent wondered if he'd said anything in his sleep.

He felt tears welling up in his eyes, and he pulled the ninja to his chest so she wouldn't see him weeping. So she wouldn't ask him why he was crying.

"Vincent?" she asked again.

"I am all right," he replied softly, wanting only to savor his time with her and not dwell on the nightmare. He knew he'd be seeing it again often enough in the coming weeks.

"Are you sure? Seemed like a pretty intense dream."

"I am." He was touched by her concern, and amazed that he could still feel so close to her after six years away. "It was only a nightmare."

He ran his hand over hear hair as she laid her head on his chest, just over his heart.

"Okay," Yuffie replied as she settled herself. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

_Here it comes. And I cannot deny her an answer. _"_You_ may." He really didn't think that he could give anyone else an answer to a personal question, anyway.

"Why did you leave Wutai?" even though he knew the question was coming, Yuffie's words still sent him to the depths of despair at the memory.

"_Be quick, Mister Valentine. I am an incredibly busy man." Vincent knew the lie to Godo Kisaragi's words. The man did nothing but sit in his rock garden all day._

_But he pretended that the lie was truth and got straight to the point. "Lord Godo, I would like to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage."_

"_No." The lord of Wutai did not even think about the answer. He simply dismissed Vincent's request out of hand._

"_Sir, if you would hear me out—"_

"_I will _not_, Mister Valentine. You are dismissed." Godo gave Vincent an icy stare. "If I ever see you within the boarders of Wutai again, I will have you killed. You may say goodbye to my daughter."_

_As if Godo Kisaragi could have prevented that._

"Godo would not let me have what I desired. He told me to leave, or he would kill me."

He felt her tense up in his arms and wondered if it was anger or shock. "What was it you wanted?"

He should have known Yuffie would ask all the hard questions all at once. "You."

"Me?" She sounded mystified by his reply. "Why?"

"I love you." He hadn't meant to say it. Had wanted to keep it quiet until he knew how she felt.

But she had wanted the truth, and he could never deny her that.

He held her, fingers twined in her dark hair, while she sorted things out. Once, perhaps twice, she opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again before she could say anything.

The sun was peeking over the horizon when Yuffie turned in his embrace and straddled his lap. He was painfully aware of their nakedness, and his body's reaction to it, as she stared into his eyes.

"Vincent, do you still want me?" Yuffie's question burned him with words that were almost what he'd been dreaming of hearing for so long.

"Your father…" Inwardly, he cursed his token protest as it came out. Of course he wanted her. She was _everything_ he wanted.

"My father isn't here. Do you want me?"

"God yes." The words hadn't finished falling from his lips when she pulled him into a searing kiss.


	4. Letters

Vincent knew he was alone before he was fully awake. They'd made love all through the morning, and had fallen asleep tangled together, the blanket forgotten somewhere on the floor. But the bed was cold and empty—save for himself—when he woke.

He'd thought it might be this way. Easier, perhaps, for her to leave without having to say goodbye when she knew his feelings.

With a dark sigh, he dragged himself from the bed. The room was eclipsed in twilight, and even his exceptional low-light vision was having trouble distinguishing details. He walked to the desk and turned on the tiny lamp.

A small square of paper in the center of the desk caught his eye, and he picked it up. A tear slid down Vincent's cheek as he read the first line, followed by several of its siblings as he continued.

_Dearest Vincent,_

_Today was the most magical, wonderful day of my life. Knowing that you shared the feelings I've had fro years has made me feel so much more complete. I love you._

_But I have to go. My responsibilities in Wutai call me back. And I know that you can't come back with me. Maybe someday in the future, but not now._

_Please don't come after me. Or try to contact me. We both know what my father would do if you did._

_All I can do is pray that Leviathan brings us together again in the future._

_All my love forever,_

Yuffie 

Carefully, he set Yuffie's note back on the desk. Then with the energy of a man whose hope has been renewed, he dressed.

He put the note into a pocket as he turned off the desk lamp and left the room.


	5. Crimson Eyes

Three years later 

When word had reached Midgar of Godo Kisaragi's death, Vincent had been on the next ship he could board for Wutai. Had he asked the pilot, Cid probably would have flown him in, but he'd wanted to give Yuffie time to adjust to her new role as leader of Wutai.

He'd stopped at the Turtle's Paradise when he got to town, wanting to hear some news before going to see her.

After a few minutes of listening to them talk about Yuffie's family, he silently left the bar.

The city of Wutai had grown a bit sine he'd been there last, and it had developed several back routes to the Kisaragi manor. Quietly, he crept down one of these back roads to Yuffie's home.

Silently, he crept past all of the guards and into the servant's door of the manor, just as he had when he'd wanted to visit her nearly a decade ago. As he began walking the darkened hallways, he realized that he wasn't sure where he was going. Though he knew the layout of the house, Yuffie had changed all the rooms when it became hers.

After a moment's hesitation, he decided that he would simply search until he found her.

He was passing the room that had once been Godo's when he heard her voice. She was reading a children's story aloud, presumably to the so he'd heard about in the Turtle's Paradise.

He leaned up against the wall and listened as she read, waiting for her to finish. A few minutes later she stopped and closed the book.

He heard the rustling of bed covers and then the voice of a small child say, "G'nite, mama!"

"Good night, Val," Yuffie replied.

_Why did she name him Val? Not a very Wutain name._

He heard her footsteps cross the room, then the light went out and she stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

Vincent watched as Yuffie started down the hall, lost in her own thoughts. She stopped at the corner and turned back, peering down the hallway. When she started to reach for Conformer, he knew that she had seen him.

"Hello, Yuffie," he said.

"Vincent!" She sounded unaccountably happy to see him.

"I heard about Godo. I came as soon as I could." He stepped from his place in the shadows. "And when I got here, I learned a most disturbing thing."

The look in Yuffie's eyes told him that she knew where he was leading the conversation already.

"They told me you were married, Yuffie. And that you had been for four years."

She looked down at the floor, a tear sliding down her cheek. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

_So am I. _"I forgive you." Vincent placed his hand under her chin and forced her to look up at him. "I couldn't trade that night and day for anything."

He kissed her. Softly, to that she would know he was saying one last 'I love you' before he left. "Goodbye, Yuffie."

He turned to go, but stopped dead when he saw the boy in the hallway. The boy was staring up at them with innocent, red eyes.

His eyes.

_Now I understand why she named him Val._


	6. Sorrow's Ending

Yuffie had tried valiantly to put the two-year-old back to bed, but in the end they'd had to let him stay with them until he fell asleep in his mother's arms.

Finally, after nearly an hour of small talk, then silence, Vincent finally asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

She swallowed loudly, nervously, as she smoothed her son's hair back from his forehead. "I didn't know where you were."

He didn't know whether to scream in anger or sorrow. _Surely_ she wouldn't have let that stop her. "Did you try to find me?"

"Of course I did!" she snapped. "What kind of cold-hearted bitch do you think I am?"

She looked down at Val, making sure he was really asleep before continuing. "We've had Reno and the Turks on retainer looking for you for two years. I wanted you to know you had a son. You were just being too hard to find."

He had no reply for that. He _had_ been hiding in out of the way places for the last three years. He simply stared at the boy sleeping in Yuffie's arms.

The silence they sat in after that could have only become more uncomfortable if her husband chose that moment to enter the room.

Nearly twenty minutes later, he asked, "You husband knows Val isn't his, doesn't he?"

"Yeah." Yuffie nodded. "But he was so glad that I was pregnant, that it didn't matter. Atnum is sterile, so I saved him the dishonor of having no children. I was the only one who knew about that."

"I see." So her husband wouldn't be hunting him down for defiling his wife.

Vincent almost wished he would, just so that he wouldn't have to live with the knowledge that she'd chosen someone else. That he'd been rejected by the woman he loved a second time.

"He'll want to meet you, since you're here. He's always wanted to meet the man who gave him his son."

"I don't think I can do that." It would be too much like having dinner with Hojo because Lucrecia asked him to.

"Please, Vincent."

"I cannot. I cannot meet the man who replaced me." He'd already lived that nightmare. He would never willingly do it again.

"He isn't your replacement," she told him. "It was an arranged marriage."

"Do you love him?" He knew he had no right to ask, but he wanted to know.

He needed to know if this was Lucrecia all over again.

He looked at her with a hard stare until she said, "No. I love you."

"At least you gave me that much more than Lucrecia." With that, he rose from his chair and slunk into the darkened house.

_I hope your gods have damned you for what you did to us, Godo. And I hope they damn me as well, for letting you do it._

_

* * *

_all right, kiddos, there it is. all finished. don't beg for more chapters becaue i left it hanging. that was deliberate. i wanted a very unhappy ending. there are too damn many happy endings out there--we needed somthing new-ish. this thing is finished. all done. chapter six is the end. same with All She Couldn't Have.

hope you liked it. i ejoyed writing them!  
eerian


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